Article Summary of "Colorado's Water Resources" by League of Women Voters of Colorado
Citation:
Colorado's Water Resources, League of Women Voters of Colorado, Inc., (Colorado: 1958), 48pp.
This Article Summary written by: T.A. O'Lonergan, Conflict Research Consortium
Colorado's Water Resources will be of interest to those who seek an
understanding of the contemporary history of water supply and use prior
to the increase in population in Colorado. The first chapter examines the
geographical position of Colorado and the inherent scarcity of water as
a result of that position. The next chapter lists the sources of both surface
water and groundwater within the State. This chapter also offers
statistics on the percentages of water use per resource, per type of user. This
is divided into rural, municipal, industrial and irrigation
users.
The third chapter addresses the legal bases of water use. In this
context the Doctrine of Prior Appropriation is considered. The
working of the system and its interpretation by the State Supreme Court
are addressed. Finally, the various Western and Eastern slope river
compacts are listed and explained. The fourth chapter examines water use in
the major river basins of the South Platte, Arkansas, and Colorado
rivers and the San Luis Valley. It also briefly notes the need,
arising out of increases of municipal use with increases in
population, for more storage capacity. The fifth chapter addresses
water use in the Denver metropolitan area. This chapter considers both
the distribution and consumption of water in Denver and
its surrounding counties, and the increasing need to improve water and sewage
facilities in the metropolitan area.
The sixth chapter examines the possibilities for increasing the supply of
water through engineering projects. The following types of projects are
considered: irrigation and reclamation, flood control,
and small watershed. The prospects for financing these projects
is also considered. The next chapter addresses the possibility of conservation
efforts to effectively increase the water supply. Among the possibilities are
the reduction of water loss in agriculture and industrial use.
In addition the effect that reduction in pollution in both agriculture
and industry would have on water use is examined. The possibility of
increasing the water production of forests within the State is given
brief consideration.
The eighth chapter examines water administration and water policy.
Of primary interest is: the administration of water rights, the
water interests of State agencies, and the making of water policy. The
need for coördinated policy for all resources and public support
for effective water policy is discussed. The next chapter addresses the
very different water use and supply situations of the two slopes
in the State: the Eastern and Western slopes. The divisive nature of this
bifurcation and prospects for future coöperation are examined. The final
chapter offers directions for effective action divided into two categories.
First, the need for more information regarding: the extent and location of the
State's water resources, and the effect and extent of pollution of the
State's waters is considered. Secondly, the need for modernization and
strengthening of water laws is addressed. The text is followed by a
glossary and a selected bibliography.
Colorado's Water Resources is a cursory examination undertaken at
the beginning of the formulation of a comprehensive water use and distribution
plan in the State of Colorado. Although dated, it does shed light on the
beginnings of Colorado's struggle with the management of its most scarce natural
resource.
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